With the U.S. House of Representatives' vote of approval for the 21st Century Cures Act, the focus shifted to the Senate to see if it would do the same and move the bill forward.
Prior to the vote, Lamar Alexander (R-TN), chairman of the Senate Health Committee, announced that more than 320 organizations had come forward to urge Congress to pass the piece of legislation. These organizations ranged from leading research hospitals to organizations that represent patients who have rare diseases.
“Patients, doctors and scientists are supporting 21st Century Cures and encouraging Congress to finish its work on this bipartisan legislation that will impact the health of virtually every American,” Alexander said. “This transformational bill will lead to lifesaving medical breakthroughs and advance President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative and Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot. It passed overwhelmingly in the House and now it’s time for the Senate to deliver on the promise of 21st Century Cures for patients.”
The House passed the bill by a vote of 392-26. The "game-changing medical innovation package," which includes funding for new research, reforms for mental health and state-level grants to help combat opioid abuse, was approved by the Senate yesterday 95-5.
The full list of organizations can be found on help.senate.gov.
